Effect of the combination of naltrexone and acamprosate on alcohol intake in mice

Both naltrexone and acamprosate have been utilized clinically in recovering alcoholics with varying success. In the experiment reported here the combination of naltrexone and acamprosate was examined in a limited access alcohol model using C57BL/6 mice to determine if there was evidence of additive or synergistic effects. The results of this experiment demonstrate that naltrexone, at the higher dose but not the lower dose, significantly reduced alcohol consumption. When combined with naltrexone, acamprosate reduced alcohol consumption across both doses of naltrexone. This effect was sensitive to both dose and number of days of exposure to the naltrexone/acamprosate combination.